Let the Sin Begin
by 2lost4words
Summary: We don't have time to love, but we do. We can't be selfish, but we are. Saving the world should be our priority, but it isn't. So now what are we supposed to do? Because it's far too late. I am without a doubt, irrevocably in love with you. A story of war, love, loss, and in the midst of all the chaos, figuring out what's really worth fighting for. PR Dino Charge: Chiley fic
1. Chapter 1

Chase didn't know how it ended up like this. Ever since Tyler, Shelby, and Riley showed he never got a moments rest. He couldn't just chill in the base while rocking out to Avenged Sevenfold. Or work on his board before heading out to the skate park during his breaks. When Koda literally moved in, things didn't change too much. He had to be careful to not freak him out with too much of the technology of the 21st century. Help him adjust and frankly learn how to wear a shirt. But overall things didn't change too much.

But now. Now there was Riley. Whenever he went to the base to relax, Riley was always there. With his lime green tank top and basketball shorts. It was like he was trying to show off how good he was at hitting tennis balls with a sword.

What made matters worse was that was all Riley seemed to do. Train. When he wasn't working at the café or they were out fighting the monster of the week, he was training. Maybe growing up in a farm made it so he hated being idle. But at the same time, Riley didn't seem to be that kind of person. A rancher or whatever it was that they did on their farm. He seemed more like a brain. The type who should have gone to some ivy league school and majored in something like metallurgy and joined the schools fencing club. Not the stay at home and work the farm while getting his GED. And yet, that was where his life seemed to take him.

Today was no different. Chase hopped down the slide and low and behold, there was Riley. He was sitting on the ground, his hands firmly holding onto his left foot. His lips were moving, counting to thirty, before switching to between his legs, then onto the right foot. Chase opened his hand and his Energem flew into place and he proceeded to the closest desk. He propped his legs up, leaned back, and put his headphones on.

Two, twelve, twenty, songs played and yet Chase found himself not actually listening to them. Instead his whole attention was focused on Riley. His eyes were going with the motion of the sword, never once straying. That was of course until the machine picked up speed and motion and one of the fuzzy green balls almost hit him square in the face.

"Watch where you hit those things mate." Chase shouted over his music. Closing his eyes, he got comfortable once more and tried to focus on the music.

"Well maybe if I couldn't hear your music from here, I would be able to concentrate better." Riley said back, but Chase still had his headphones on and couldn't hear him. Rolling his eyes, he set his sword down and turned off the tennis ball machine. He walked over to Chase and shouted his name a few times. "Chase!" He said a fourth time and finally one of the chocolate eyes shot open.

His hand reached for his headphones and he pulled them down around his neck. "What?" He asked and now both eyes were open.

But with how close his new team member was to him, he found himself actually looking at Riley. His arms were bare, and he could see how firm his muscles actually were. That the years of working on the ranch made him leaner and stronger than any other teenager he knew. And despite his body glistening in sweat, his breathing was still calm and steady. As if it really wasn't much of a workout. That he could push himself harder. Quickly shaking such thoughts from his head he waited to see what Riley wanted of him.

"How bad is your hearing? I can your music from the other side of the room?"

"Well maybe if you didn't make so much noise hitting those balls around I wouldn't have to listen to it so loud." Chase responded with a smile.

"Just turn down the music a bit." Riley rolled his eyes and began to turn around to go back to training. But soon found himself stopped by Chase, speaking once again.

"Don't you do anything fun?"

"Just because I don't goof off all day doesn't mean I don't have fun." Riley shot back.

"First off, I don't goof off all day." Chase stood up from his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. "And secondly, i doubt you could name one fun thing you have done all week."

A smirk started to form on Riley's face. It was as if he had the perfect answer. One that Chase could not put down. "The other night I beat my previous record of solving a Rubik's Cube. I did it in 20.4 seconds."

The base fell silent, but after a few seconds a hearty laugh escaped Chase's lips. The laughing continued for a good minute until he finally regained composer. "Come on mate. You can't be serious."

"What's so funny about me liking puzzles?"

Chase made a decision without even thinking. He shot up from the chair and grabbed Riley by the wrist. "We are going out and having real fun."

"But our shift starts in an hour." Riley said as his body allowed him to be dragged by the slightly older teen.

"Trust me. This is more important."

* * *

"No offense Chase, but skateboarding isn't exactly my thing." Riley found himself dragged to the skate park, decked out in a bright green helmet, matching knee and elbow pads, and and one of Chase's old black skateboard being handed to him. He felt to out of in the open like this. When he practiced fending in his barn he only audience was Rubik. And his dog, well, he couldn't exactly tell people how many times he fell over while practicing the proper stance or how many times he hit himself when he stepped away from the books and added moves of his own via jumps and flips. But here everyone could be watching and judging. They probably already notice he doesn't belong or fit in. Even more so he wanted to go back to the base and tread in familiar territory.

Chase on the other hand, once again found himself eying Riley he couldn't help but think how good he looked in the skater gear. But at the same time, not nearly as captivating as when he danced around the base with his sword. "Come on bro." He said as he strapped on his own helmet. "I've seen the moves you can do with a sword. Just imagine the board as that." Hopping on his own board he headed down into the bowl.

Riley stood at the edge just watching the black and silver hoodie flip and turn with ease. His body was almost graceful as he performed the various tricks. Chase was in his element. No distractions. No worries. Just him and his board. "How hard can it be?" Riley muttered to himself as Chase disappeared from sight. He got on his own board and thought he did what Chase did, but found himself closer to the concrete than he wanted to be and his butt a lot more sore. He looked up and saw Chase standing next to him, hand extended. Grabbing it he got on his feet and dusted himself off.

Chase didn't expect Riley's hands to feel so rough and calloused. The rest of his body, despite being well built still looked soft, almost baby like. But his hands, they were strong and powerful. They were one of the only signs that he was a hard working rancher before the green Energem bonded to him. He could have sworn his heart was skipping beats the longer their hands were connected, but quickly brushed it off as nothing. "Come on, bro. I'll teach you the basics."

Riley could feel his cheeks warming up, and quickly shot down to look at the concrete. Why was he still feeling so embarrassed? All he did was stupidly wipe out in front of the entire skate park. And yet, the warmth he felt from embarrassment didn't feel right. It was different. As if he was more embarrassed because Chase saw. Because Chase offered to teach him the basics. His heart felt more embarrassed because of Chase rather than the strangers around them. And he wished he knew why.

Riley once again got on his skateboard, but found himself lacking the balance needed to stand on it. "Whoa." He said as his body rocked.

"It's ok bro, you got this." Chase grabbed Riley's hands and helped him regain his balance. Still holding hands, Chase pulled him forward, so his body could get used to the motion of the board.

The whole time though, Riley could feel his cheeks getting warmer. And yet, he didn't feel the same embarrassment as when he wiped out. It was different. His heart was beating unevenly and his breathing became heavier. he could feel his palms getting sweaty and thought they would slip from Chase's at any moment.

Seconds later, their hands did just that, and Chase moved off to the side. Instinctively, Riley put his let to the ground and kept himself moving forward. For just a moment, he turned his head back, and could have sworn he saw Chase cheering him on. Turning his head back forward, he narrowed his eyes and saw the he was approaching a wall. Sure, he barely knew how to move, and stopping hasn't been covered yet, but he wanted to show off. Show Chase that he was not as pathetic as that wipe out he experienced earlier. He just told himself it was all math. Just basic physics; velocity, gravity, friction, normal forces, et cetera. The board and he were going up, and he was trying his best to do the needed calculation in his head. "Now!" He didn't mean to say it out loud, but he grabbed the board with his right hand and flew in the air.

As gravity brought him back down, he let go of the board. He thought he did it. That he made it. but once again, his face became good friends with the concrete.

"Riley!" He heard Chase's voice and the wheels of a skateboard coming to a stop next to him. "You alright bro?" Once again, Chase was holding out his hand offering to help him up.

Riley took it and once again, his heart was moving unusually. That being in contact with Chase made it do screwy things. "Yeah, I'm fine." He tried to sound normal despite his body feeling so, so different. And it was not a type of different that happens when you break a bone from falling off a skateboard.

WHen Riley said that he was alight, Chase felt like he could breath again. Sure, he wanted Riley to go with the flow. Try something new. Get him out of his usual strict regimen of training and work. But when he saw him crash again, his heart came to a stop. Sure, Riley was wearing pads but what if he didn't fall properly and hurt himself? What would he tell his teammates? Sorry mates, were a ranger down because I wanted to teach him how to have fun. But also, a small part of him didn't want to see that flawless baby face scared. Didn't want an inch of that skin covered in gauze or bandages. But that thought, that wish, it was one he didn't fully understand yet. He has only known Riley for a little over a week, and yet, these small bursts of emotion are unlike anything he has felt.

Even though Riley was standing, their hands were still clasped together and eyes locked. The world around them was nonexistent. So of course, it was immediately interrupted by the beep of their communicators. Both jumped, their hands returning to their sides.

"Chase. Riley. There is a monster in the park. We need you." They heard Tyler's voice and that further shattered whatever it was that was happening between them.

Chase shook his head as if it were slipping out of a daze and he grabbed his communicator. "Riley and I will meet you there."

When Chase spoke, Riley could have sworn he heard a hint of sorrow in his voice. As if he was actually upset that they had to leave. and Riley's heart, it felt the same way. That he wanted to hold onto this moment for a little while longer. That maybe if they weren't rangers, things would be different right now. Chase would laugh at him, and eventually help him pull off the trick.

But they are rangers. They are the heroes the world need. And they were needed now. He should be proud, excited, that he can once again defeat evil, and be one step closer to keeping the world safe. And honestly, he was. But still. A part of him wanted to be a normal teenager for a bit longer. To figure out what it is that he is feeling right now. To do what he does best. Analyze the situation. But he can't. He needs to be a Power Ranger. That needs to be his priority. That should always be his priority. And yet, the wavering in his heart kept telling him otherwise.


	2. Chapter 2

Chase sat on the grassy terrain while looking down onto the track. His skateboard was next to him and his elbow was propped on it while his index finger spun one of the wheels. It was still morning, but late enough that most of the early morning joggers had already come and gone. But one person was still there. In fact, he had just arrived ten minutes ago. It was like he knew when the track would be empty so he perfectly timed it so he would have it all to himself.

His lime green duffle bag with matching bottle was on the closest bench and his outfit was just as ostentatious as them. Sitting on the ground he began the routine of stretching, sit ups, push ups, jumping rope, and then a five mile jog around the track.

Chase didn't know why he felt inclined to watch Riley work out. Normally he doesn't put this much thought into a person. He flutters from girl to girl and on occasion guy to guy because no one could hold his attention long enough. But Riley seemed to be that exception. Why else would he be sitting here insteading of skating around town or at the park? And yet the longer he watched, the harder it was to figure out. What was it about Riley that made him of such interest?

He knew it wasn't just because they were teammates since Koda and Tyler didn't spark such stalkeresque activities. And Shelby was no different than the other cute girls that caught his attention, the interest left as soon as it came. So what made Riley so special? Why was he someone he couldn't get out of him mind? Sure they are teammates. Someone he has to trust unconditionally with his back. And maybe with time, they would become friends. It just felt too soon to start using that word. But none of the explains why he can't get Riley out of his head. Why he finds his eyes drifting his his general direction during team meetings or why he always felt the need to sit next to him during lunch and dinner. Sure he didn't randomly pop up next to him and lay on the charm like he normally does with someone he finds attractive. But still, there was just something about RIley that he couldn't shake.

Swiftly grabbing his skateboard, he rose from the grass. He couldn't stand this emotionally confused Lifetime Movie crap. There was nothing to think about. Nothing to debate. There is nothing between him and Riley. End of story. His heart's weird reaction to his touches was just his imagination. It was excitement from skateboarding. Any relation to Riley was purely coincidental. Despite his brain knowing this, his heart was still refusing to accept it.

The only thing he could do. They only way he could stop himself from thinking about such things, was to skate. To put his board on the concrete and ride to nowhere in particular. So that's when he did. And the second his feet touched the board, any and all thoughts of Riley melted away. The only unspoken question was, would that nothingness in his mind remain once his feet touched level ground.

* * *

Riley pushed himself harder than usual and his breathing matched the pounding of his feet on the track. He never listened to music while working out, it was too much of a distraction. Also, back on the ranch when he worked out, it was to the noises of pigs, cattle, birds, and at times, Rubik's barking. He enjoyed the sounds of nature because it was the closest thing he had as a reminder of home. Sure, it was great to get away from it all, especially the pigs, but he still missed his mom and brother. The ranch was their life. The only one he ever knew. He and his brother were both homeschooled after the age of twelve since they were needed to help with the stock. And the only interactions he had with other people his age were at stock shows and rodeos he was dragged to. And frankly, he never really clicked with anyone. He was not into the rancher lifestyle like his mom and brother. He liked fencing, chess, even taught himself go. But still. It was his home and this is the longest he has been away from it. So some homesickness was to be expected.

But today, his usual tranquil workout, if you can even call a rigorously scheduled workout tranquil, was the noisiest he ever experienced.

But that noise wasn't exterior, but interior, as in all in his head. The other day at the skatepark was on an infinite loop. His nervousness, wanting to impress Chase, and the blushing he couldn't see but knew was happening.

He kept pushing himself and running faster in hopes to leave the memories behind, but they were able to keep up with him. It made his usual morning work out less enjoyable. His focus was more on his thoughts than the tasks at hand, which led to a poor workout. Even though he knew he shouldn't he cut his workout short, he did. He did his usual, mile long cool down jog from the track to his studio apartment and hopped in the shower. He rested his head against the white tile and just let the cool water fall. His mind was finally at ease. It was exactly what he needed it to be before heading to his first shift at work. He was working in the cafe with the rest of the team and he couldn't let anything distract him while there. Especially if they had to leave at a moment's notice to partake in their other job.

Once he was clean and dressed he grabbed his backpack and helmet and drove his vespa to the museum. Instead of going to the break room to get ready like most of the staff would, he headed down to the ranger base and got ready down there.

"Hey Riley!" Shelby said chipperly. Both she and Tyler were heading in the opposite direction. Both were already dressed for work and ready to begin their shift.

"Hey man, you're on the grill today. But I'll start getting it heated up for you." Tyler added as they crossed paths.

"I'll be up in a minute." Riley walked backwards as they had their brief conversation and turned around just before he hit the stairs.

Riley placed his duffle bag in the corner next to the tennis ball machine and began to change into clothing more suitable for burger flipping. He eventually made his way to the cafe and immediately headed to the fridge and freezer to start organizing his station. Koda was getting the fryers and sandwich prep station ready while Shelby and Tyler took the chairs off the tables so the cafe looked presentable for their eleven o'clock opening.

While organizing the condiments and the buns Riley found himself looking up and watching Shelby and Tyler. Everyone once in awhile when Tyler was not looking in Shelby's direction, he caught her staring longingly at him. And then when Shelby was not looking Tyler did the same thing. And while it warmed his heart. It also left a lingering sadness. Would he ever have something like that with someone? Would he be able to look across the room at another guy and pray that when he looks down the guy does the same thing? His current rate at flirting and being flirted with is an even zero. And maybe for a few years longer it will have to stay that way. He is a ranger now. Has new priorities. And finding a relationship, while never being at the top of his things to do list, is now even lower than it ever was. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to no longer intrude on Tyler and Shelby, but instead focus on the task at hand.

The grill was at the perfect temperature, Koda had his station prepped and the two playing googley eyes had the tables and chairs cleaned and ready. Everything appeared to be in order, but when counting heads, one was still missing. Chase. Although a part of Riley questioned if Chase missing was really any different than when he was actually here. Looking down at his watch it was a twenty five minutes until opening. He had twenty five minutes to get here and still technically be on time as per his work schedule. Looking back up at the entry way though, Chase was nowhere to be found. Snapping himself out of his daze Riley forced himself to get back to work and began shaping the ground beef into patties. It felt like an hour had passed, even though it was only ten minutes, when a clicking noise distracted him from his monotonous patty forming. His head immediately snapped up, but the sight of Kendall approaching, made his shoulders slump and his eyes drifted back to the raw meat. Of course it was Kendall and not Chase on his skateboard. They were opening in fifteen minutes and she had to make sure everything was in order in the cafe before to returning to her duties in the actual museum.

"Everything alright Riley?" She asked as she approached the grill. Her clipboard was in hand and he began checking off the opening checklist.

"Huh? Yah." Riley said as his mind transitioned from his internal monologue of disappointment to actually holding a conversation with a living person. "Everything is fine." He attempted a smile at her, but even he could tell it was fake.

"It's that just now..." She started, but the sound of clicking wheels against the tile caused Riley's attention to divert to behind Kendall. There was Chase. Black helmet, a grey hoodie that had the sleeves ripped off , and a pair of black dickies that were one size too big for his statuesque body. "You know what Riley. Don't mind me. Just keep working." She said slowly as her eyes drifted between the two boys.

Chase took off his helmet, zipped open his backpack pulling out a cleaner shirt to work in, and put his helmet in its place in the bag. He began walking in their direction after placing his skateboard near the register and set his backpack on the shelf underneath.

"Chase." Kendall snapped as she turned around to look at the only employee who wasn't completely ready for the doors opening. "Seeing as how you were the only one who felt the need to not come in early and help with the prep work, you're bussing tables today."

"Kendall." Chase said putting on the charm with his smooth voice and impish smile. However the scolding eyes he was receiving from his boss quickly made him change his tune. "Ms. Morgan. The schedule said my shift started at eleven. And guess what. It's eleven-"

"But I asked the team yesterday if you all could come early and help Chef with the prep, since the usual morning crew decided that practicing for their bowling league tournament was more important."

"But seeing as how we had more..." Chase looked around to make sure no unwanted ears were around. "Pressing matters to attend to after you asked. I assumed your request was optional." Kendall continued to stare him down and Chase wet his lips nervously. "You know what. How about I stay and extra hour today."

She smiled deviously as if Chase had fallen right into her trap. "Thank you Chase. That would be appreciated."

While Riley didn't intentionally mean to eavesdrop he found himself doing so. And when Kendall moved out of the way, Riley quickly diverted his attention to his station. But very slowly, his eyes creeped back up and in the direction of Chase. He now had on a white apron that covered the lower half of his torso and his baseball hat materialized out of no where because it was comfortably resting on his head. His three quarter sleeved black and gray t-shirt was now on and the black cord that held his Dino Gem could just barely be seen around his neck. To Riley everything about this look was picturesque and he cursed himself for think that.

As Chase headed back in Riley's direction, he once again found his eyes looking at the squishy pink meat. He breathed slowly for his heart was beating faster than it was this morning during his workout. He wanted to know what caused it. Why just looking at Chase resulted in such reactions. But he couldn't dwell on it. He once again didn't have any time to question his teenage bodily reactions. He had work to do. Tyler had already brought him the first ticket and he had burgers to grill and build. So he continued putting all questions on hold. Banishing any and all distractions. Work was his priority and nothing else could change that. Or at least that was what Riley kept telling himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Chase was tired. His feet were sore and arms throbbing. He hated bussing tables. It was hard to flirt and talk to the cute customers when he was covered in condiments, spilled drinks, and the occasional half eaten sandwich. His accent alone could only get him so far with the American crowd. So he needed to look cool all the time.

Since the cafe was slowing down, Chase decided to take his break. He picked an empty table in the corner of the cafe and plopped down at an empty table. He took his phone out of his pocket and unwound the headphones. He clicked the giant orange button for his music player and let the songs take over his mind for the next fifteen minutes.

What seemed like out of nowhere, a glass of a yellowish green beverage appeared before Chase. He threw off the headphone in his right ear and looked up only to see Riley. The last person he expected to bring him a drink. And for what felt like no apparent reason. They hadn't talked, and he means really talk since they day at the skatepark. They always chat with the rest of the team. But alone time. Just the two of them. It was non existent with the monsters to fight, work, and looking for the missing energems. Both had full schedule and little time for a personal life.

Chase's eyes drifted back to the soda and he grabbed it taking a swig. He was not much of a soda drinker, preferring water or sports drinks but he felt inclined to drink it. And not out of obligation. He really couldn't explain it. But he just wanted to drink it.

"What's this for?" He asked putting the beverage down.

Riley just shrugged his shoulders. "Looked like you could use a drink." He said almost offhandedly. This attitude took Chase off guard. He didn't know how to respond to it. Riley was either guarded or so verbose about a topic that it was near impossible to shut him off. Riley was wound tightly, like a metal spring, so this cool demeanor was welcomely unexpected.

"Uh. Thanks mate." He finally said after taking what felt like an awkward sip.

"Have a good break." Riley awkwardly lifted up his hand as if saying goodbye and headed back to his station.

As Riley walked back to the grill Chase found himself watching him. He noticed that the beige slacks fit him to a "T" and the white shirt and green sweatervest perfectly hid the toned body that he knew existed underneath. Everything about Riley's current appearance was meticulous and borderline perfection. Where the Riley who hit tennis balls with his sword or worked out at the park gave an air of dominance and aggressiveness. This Riley was small. Quiet. In a word, meek. Where the Riley he saw training in the base or at the track appeared as confident and strong jock. Two completely different sides and yet Chase found himself being drawn to both.

Chase took another sip of his soda and the feeling he got from it altered. He started feeling warm. Well warmer than he usually did after cleaning tables for four hours straight. The fizzy beverage was cooling and yet the heat he felt was still there.

"Hey Chase." Tyler's voice completely snapped Chase from his daze. The warmth he felt was evaporating and the sugary beverage was tasting flat. It was strange. What had so quickly overcame him vanished just as quickly. That draining bliss almost made him irritated with Tyler. But that annoyance vanished just as quickly as his elation. He knew that there was no reason to be upset with Tyler. So why did such emotions overtake him? It didn't make any sense. Then again, nothing the past few days made any sense. Especially when it came to Riley. The only cure he knew of for when he was feeling like this was to ride his board. And seeing that he was already late, he knew he couldn't ditch in order to get his mind back into place. "When you are done with your break why don't you wait some tables." Tyler continued not knowing of the internal dialogue going on in his friend's head. "Your rent is due soon so I know you could use the extra tips."

"Thanks mate." Chase said to the only words he actually heard, wait tables and extra tips.

Tyler smiled sheepishly. "No Problem. I know you and Riley have a tighter budget than the rest of us." His smile slowly evolved into a shining grin of brilliance. Like he had an idea so ingenious this very moment that nothing could contain it. "Hey. I bet you and Riley could save a couple hundred bucks if you roomed together."

Chase's eyes slowly drifted to Riley he was flipping burgers at the grill. He didn't try to show off with fancy flips or moves like Tyler or distractingly turn them leaving one side charred because he was too absorbed in his phone like what happened far too often with Chase. Instead, several timers were set for the various rarities and the moment the first beep went, he flipped them accordingly and then reset the timer.

The longer he looked at Riley, the more he thought what a ridiculous idea it was. Him and Riley. Living together. The king of organization and inhuman levels of cleanliness, living with him. Chase knew he was the textbook definition of the stereotypical messy bachelor. The only area of his studio that would receive anything close to a passing grade in the Riley Griffin School of Organization would be his workspace for his boards.

Besides, his apartment is his sanctuary. The one place he can get away from the monsters and the stresses that come with being a full time superhero and employee at the museum. So if he ever gets so lucky. Is able to take back a special guy or girl for some one on one alone time. He wouldn't be able to do that with a roommate. With Riley his player image would be destroyed.

_But would that really be so bad?_

A small part of Chase questioned that. Wondered if it was time to stop chasing every tail that wagged in his direction and actually dive into a long term committed relationship.

A shiver ran down his spine at that thought. Commitment. To another person. He has seen it time and time again that that word just resulted in unattainable fantasies. His player lifestyle was the only truth.

"Come on. Me and Riley? We see eachother every day." Chase finally said as his mind found a good enough excuse to a pretty logical idea. "Don't you like going home and having a place all to yourself?"

Tyler's eyes shot to the floor as he bit his bottom lip. "I actually wouldn't mind some company at home."

Chase realized he had said something stupid. Tyler's dad. He probably didn't see him much since he was always on his own Indiana Jones Style Adventures. And now he is missing. Tyler would probably be willing to sacrifice anything to be able to live with his dad for even a week.

"Hey Mate-"

"No. It's cool." Tyler said quickly interrupting Chase. "To each their own. I'll start cleaning and here are my tables." Tyler ripped off a piece of paper from his notepad that had his tables listed on it and placed it on the table before heading to the kitchens.

With a sigh, Chase's eyes drifted back to Riley who was as usual, perfectly building the burgers with toppings before handing them off to Shelby. His face was turning a slight shade of pink and small beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. He sharply exhaled and grabbed a towel from his apron and dabbed it off. He noticed Riley's eyes were moving, possibly in his direction, so he quickly returned his attention to his phone.

He saw the small smiley face in the corner of his phone, meaning he got a text from of of the girls he was flirting with at the mall the other day. His finger hovered over the texting icon. But he found himself unable to touch it. The ridiculous idea that Tyler brought up once again resurfaced. Living with Riley and then his brain somehow jumping to him actually being in a committed relationship. He turned his head to get once glance at Riley, which caused those emotions to get amplified. It was infuriating. Why is this happening? Why is he do conflicted. This is the complete opposite of his usual go with the flow attitude.

Somehow, Riley is changing him. The only problem is, he didn't know what he was changing into. Taking one last look at Riley he took a deep breath and pressed the text icon on his phone to see what the message said.

* * *

While his four team members shifts had ended, Chase knew he still had a full sixty minutes left. The longest sixty minutes of his life. They all changed out of their work clothing and switched to more casual attire and took up one of the tables in the center of the cafe.

"What are you guys still doing here?"

"We thought we would wait for you to get off." Riley said as he grabbed a menu and pretended to scan over it.

"Also Koda pointed out that it wasn't fair if we went to Jungle Karma Pizza without you." Shelby added.

Koda smiled warmly at his best friend and shook his head in agreement. "You're turn to pay." He said bluntly.

"There's that too." Shelby added with a coy smile. "I'll have some fossil fries to hold me over till then."

"Make that two orders." Tyler added with the same smile that everyone else at the table had.

Chase took his notepad out of his apron and grabbed the pen that he right ear was holding up. "And an extra rare bronto burger for Koda." He said knowing what he closest friend wanted. Koda had no problem at all eating a burger and then a whole pizza by himself. "Riley?" he asked not knowing what he would want. Sure, they have all eaten at the cafe together before and after missions, but he never really paid attention to what he ordered.

"Nothing. I'm good." He said putting down the menu.

Chase clicked his pen on his notepad before placing it behind his ear. He walked back to the kitchen, and gave the order to the new employees that had started their shifts. He turned back around and his attention immediately went to the back of Riley's head. How did his eyes always do that? It was like Riley's location was permanently imprinted in his internal compass. _Just 55 more minutes._ He told himself. In 55 minutes he'll be able to hop on his board as they head to the pizzeria and all this will vanish.

A group of cute girls entered into the cafe and Chase quickly straightened himself up. Cute girls equate to a good distraction. The moment they sat down Chase found himself at the side of the table asking them what they wanted to drink. He smiled at each of them and put on charm. Two of the three girls giggled and whispered how hot his accent was, but he didn't feel any swell of enthusiasm. Instead, his eyes made their way to Riley. For for just a moment he swore that their eyes met, and his heart began to drop. But he shook it off. It had to be his imagination. Two of these girls were interested in him, he could tell by the way they looked at him. They should be his focus. And yet the more he assured himself in this, the more he could feel his heart drop and disappear into nothingness.


	4. Chapter 4

"Did you guys know the first Jungle Karma Pizza was in Ocean Bluff?" Riley asked after the waitress took their order. They were all sitting in a booth together and of course Chase was on his immediate right. Their elbows occasionally bumped one another and a few times he could have sworn Chase's hand brushed his own. It was driving Riley mad. He didn't know if all these touches were a figment of his imagination or they were actually happening. Either way he needed a distraction, and what better one than to brush his fellow rangers up on some history.

"Yah." Shelby sad as if it were an obvious fact. "It's on the menu." She turned it over and on the back was a brief history of the pizza parlor along with a picture of a hippy looking owner who had more purple on than most should ever wear in a lifetime.

Riley didn't let Shelby's attitude get him down. Besides himself and Ms. Morgan, Shelby was the other brain on the team. "Did you also know that there was also a team of Power Rangers in Ocean Bluff as well."

"Seriously?" Tyler asked, his enthusiasm perked up at this news. "Cool."

"I bet those rangers weren't forced to worked in the restaurant industry like we are." Shelby grumbled before taking a sip of her soda.

"Man. How do you know this stuff?" Chase asked as he attempted to lean back in the booth, but instead his and Riley's feet collided.

Riley rolled his eyes, even though his he heart skipped a beat from their brief touch "It's called research Chase."

"How many ranger teams have there been before us?" Tyler leaned in close and whispered even though the parlor was so loud that no one should be able to overhear them.

Riley shrugged his shoulders. "It's hard to say."

"How difficult could it be?" Chase scoffed. "It's pretty hard to miss a 50 foot monster fighting a giant robot."

Riley looked back at Chase. It was almost like he was being challenged. That Chase refused to believe that he couldn't answer that or any question, so he was being forced into his know-it-all mode. "Ranger teams in the United States can be dated back to the early 90's. And in Japan it's even earlier." Riley said with ease. He would not refuse the challenge that Chase was throwing at him "I found newspaper articles from mid 70's. I couldn't read them, but the pictures were proof enough."

"So what's the point?" Chase asked. "Obviously none of these past rangers have their powers. If they did, don't you think they would be fighting the monsters and not us?"

"That's what I was getting to." Riley was irritated now. Whatever it was that formed the butterflies in his stomach had vanished because all he wanted to do was duck tape Chase's pretty boy mouth shut. "There have been two ranger teams before us that have used powers from dinosaurs. Both were in California, the cities of Angel Grove and Reefside."

"I doubt there are any Energems in either of those two cities, let alone California." Shelby interrupted. "Most of the fossils found there were Hadrosaurs, which existed near the end of the Cretaceous Period. There have been a few other species found; a Nodosaur fossil was found in San Diego and a few Plesiosaurs fossils were found in San Bernardino. But during the Mesozoic Era, specifically the Jurassic and Triassic Period, California was still underwater. The coasts were retreating and the land uplifting, so for all we know those fossils could be a result of the animal drowning and the currents taking them out to sea. But there is also the possibly that they existed in areas that are closer to the modern day inlands of California opposed to the shore we see today." The boys, minus Riley, looked at her with stunned faces, but Shelby just shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal. "I don't know why you all are acting so surprised. I've said I know more about dinosaurs than all of you before. So let this serve as a reminder to not underestimate me." Tyler looked at Shelby impressed, which resulted in her smiling and pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"But what if they came across Energems before?" Riley pressed. "Koda found his over 100,000 years ago. What if one or more of these rangers found an Energem, it didn't bond to them since they already had powers and responsibilities, so they didn't know what it was and what power it holds?"

"Don't you think if a former ranger found an Energem Keeper would appear to them?" Chase questioned brazenly. He was obviously not interested in Riley's plan. "Keeper and Kendall found me days after I bonded to mine-"

Two waitresses were approaching their tables, each had a pizza in hand; one for Koda and one for the rest of them. "Here you go guys." One said as they placed the two pies on the table. "Anything else I can get you?"

They all nodded their head no, and once again, they were able to continue their conversation. "Don't you-"

"Just drop it Riley." Chase said coolly now that their spat had a much needed interruption. "Saving the Earth is our responsibility now, not theirs. We can do it without them."

Riley just had too many questions about Chase's attitude towards this. It was strange that he was so adamantly against them finding these past rangers. It was almost like he had this idea before and knew it was a dead end. But if this was true, how would Chase have meet a previous ranger? "Fine." Riley seceded before grabbing a slice of pizza. As much as a part of him wanted to press this, Chase's attitude just brought about so many more questions that he just had to analyze this situation more. Also, Chase brought up something that he so blatantly looked over. Keeper found Kendall first. Not Chase, the one who bonded to the Energem, but Kendall who has extensive knowledge of the zords, Energems, and real life dinosaurs. It's almost like she had advanced degrees in paleontology, computer science, and mechanical engineering. But why Kendall? Why would he come to her and how does she know so much about this ranger Technology? Those were new questions he needed to do some serious research on. "But I seriously think this is something we should consider. Sledge and Fury keep getting stronger and if we can't find the other Energems, we may not be able to stop them."

Part of Chase didn't want to believe it. While he hasn't known Riley that long, he has known him long enough to know he was not the type to surrender an idea that quickly. Riley was very similar to Kendall when it came to research and science. And he knew all too well how stubborn she could be, so he knew this couldn't just be the end of it. His gut said Riley was planning something. And his instincts have never failed him before.

"So Riley," Tyler started, erasing away the rest of the lingering tension. "Your rent for June is approaching-"

"No. No. No." Chase interrupted before Tyler could even finish speaking. "If you think Riley needs a roommate so badly, then how about you live with him?"

Koda with pizza in his mouth looked between the three other males curiously. He was so busy eating the he wasn't fully paying attention to the conversation until now.

Riley was stunned. Was Tyler? Did he know about his very passing infatuation? No. It had to be a coincidence. It just had to be. He needed to play this cool. Not act nearly as surprised as he felt. Or let the butterflies who somehow resurrected themselves take flight. "Who said I need a roommate?" He finally managed to say.

Tyler looked to Riley and then back at Chase. "It's just I know that both of you are living alone-"

"Aren't you living alone?" Riley asked pointedly.

"Technically yes. But I don't have to pay rent." Tyler continued. "My dad used to do research here and I have a condo-"

"Hold up." Shelby said. "You have a condo?"

"Technically it's my dad's. I just have the key-"

"What exactly did your dad do that he could afford a condo here?"

"He used to do a lot of work for a guy…what was his name...Hartford?"

"Hartford?" Shelby questioned. "As in Andrew Hartford? That crazy billionaire who thinks he's Indiana Jones."

"I don't know. Maybe." Tyler shrugged his shoulders. He was at a loss as to why Shelby was grilling him so much on this. Why does it matter if his dad has multiple properties in different states. His work took him all over the continental Americas so why wouldn't he keep a couple homes near the ones he visited most? "But enough about me. Let's focus on today's topic of conversation, Chase and Riley."

"I don't need a roommate." Chase reiterated.

"Neither do I." Riley agreed. "I'm only here until August-"

"What do you mean you're only here until August?" Tyler was stunned by the news and so was the rest of the team. Koda nearly dropped the slice of pizza he stole from his teammates pan, and Shelby quieted herself very quickly. Chase though. Chase's shock was the most surprising of the four. While he was silent, one could feel the bubbling rage that was emitting from him.

"The only way I was able to convince my mom to let me come here was if it was only for the summer. They need my help around the ranch too much."

"But what about Fury? Finding the Energems. We need you Riley." Tyler protested.

"My family needs me too." Riley said with a shoulder shrug. It was as if he accepted this fate long ago and saw no point in fighting it.

"But what about college?" Shelby piped up. "A brainiac like you. All the major ivy league school must want you-"

"Don't bother Shelby." Chase interrupted, his voice dripping with a venom that no one had heard before. "Riley has already made up his mind." Chase slid to the edge of the booth and pulled some cash on his pocket and threw it on the table. "I'm going to the skate park. I'll catch up with you guys later."

"What was that about?" Tyler asked Riley specifically.

"Like I know."

"Chase like Riley." Koda said while swallowing his last bite of pizza.

Riley on the other hand nearly spit out the bite he was finally able to take. No. This is just Tyler paranoia 2.0. There's no way Chase likes him in that way, let alone so much so that he would confide in Koda. Chase is a tail chaser and he seriously doubted he was Chase's type to begin with. Even though Riley tried to convince himself that there was no chance in hell that Chase likes him in that way. His heart couldn't stop thumping excitedly and his butterflies wanted to break free from their current pavilion.

"Riley is important member of team." Koda continued with a wide grin.

Riley's heart returned to its normal speed. He was right. Logic had not failed him. The only bumbling emotionally confused teenager was him, not Chase. Then again, Chase was acting weird the entire time. So maybe he was conflicted about something. The only question was, what was it that annoyed him so?

* * *

Chase didn't want to get off his board. He knew the moment his feet touched the ground all of what he was feeling about Riley and their conversation would return. He knew it was a dumb thing to argue about, but at the same time, it brought back a memory he would rather not remember. One of his first memories of when he came to Texas and learned about the Power Rangers. He was shocked how much his own country censored the television because he had never heard of the group nor knew of the numerous alien attacks.

When he got home he flopped on his futon and stared at the ceiling. If Riley dug into this too far and Chase had a feeling he would, then it would make things between them shaky. It could do more harm than good. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit the second number on his favorites list.

The phone only rang once. "What is it Chase?" Kendall asked unenthusiastically.

"Hey Kendall, I'm good thanks for asking?" He responded cheekily.

"Its been an hour since you got off work Chase. What could you possibly need right now?"

"At dinner Riley was talking about finding past rangers." The phone was silent. "He thinks they could help up find the Energems." The phone was still silent. "Come on Kendall-"

"He doesn't know anything yet? Does he?" She finally asked. Her voice was calm, but Chase could perfectly imagine the tranquil demeanor she held in the toughest of situations. And this situation was most definatly a difficult one for her.

"No. But considering what a brain he is he's bound to figure it out."

"Keep on eye on him then." Chase's heart skipped a beat. Keep an eye on Riley. Like a covert operation. One where he would have to watch his every move. His body started to warm up and he could feel his phone slipping in his hand.

Chase shook his head and tried to cool himself down before answering. "Kendall are you sure this is the best idea? Maybe we should just tell them-"

"Chase please." She snapped, but after a few deep breaths he knew Kendall would be her collected self. "You know why we can't tell them."

"Fine." Chase agreed to his boss's wish.

"And Chase." She said once everything had been decided. "It's Miss Morgan." With that she hung up.

Chase smiled at the phone before setting it down, but that grin quickly vanished. Riley. His new side operation. This secret could be something that could tear the team apart. It could tear him apart. But deep down he knew this secret wasn't his to share. So he would keep it for Kendall, even if no one else would understand why.

* * *

Hello All! Hope you are all enjoying this fic. Now that the first half of Dino Charge is done, I finally have a plan where I'm taking this story. So I hope you all enjoy. Im still getting used to their characters, because we definitely see them grow through the episodes so I need to go back and rewatch some of the older ones.

As a side note if any of you read my frostiron fics, I hope to have a chapter posted for one of them at the end of the month. I'm still super busy so for all my fics i'm just posting when I can. But your support would definitely help me and give me the push to make sure I stay on a schedule for all my fics.


	5. Chapter 5

The moaning and groans could be heard from across the room. Chase had his headphones on, but the music was softly playing. So much so that he couldn't tell one song from the other. He wanted to raise the volume on this phone so to drown out the oddly sensual sounding workout grunts, but he promised to keep an eye on Riley. And if he raised his music's volume any louder, he knew his side mission would quickly become forgotten.

Because of small things such as this, it was hard for Chase to act like nothing was going on. The pressure of lying to his team was gnawing away at him, but he needed to keep his cool. Besides, this was one secret the team was better off not knowing.

He leaned back in his chair and did his best to relax. No one should suspect a thing. He has sat in their base watching Riley work out before. So it was the ideal cover.

He studied the rhythmic dance Riley performed as he hit the tennis balls. He was amazed that even balancing upside down on one hand Riley could still hit the fuzzy balls with an eighty percent accuracy.

He questioned how much work Riley actually did on the ranch because his skills with a sword and gymnastics appears to say otherwise.

"When I asked you to keep an eye on him this wasn't what I had in mind." Chase fell backwards in the chair and landed on the floor from the hushed voice in his ear. "And wipe that drool off your chin. It's pathetic." He looked up and Kendall was standing over him with a smug grin.

The tennis ball machine stopped popping and Chase quickly wiped his face with his sleeve before getting on his feet.

"Riley as much as I appreciate your dedication to training and the team, today's your day off." Kendall said without missing a beat. "Why don't you go out."

"Thanks for the concern Miss Morgan, but we don't know when Fury will strike next, so I need to be prepared."

"Because practicing the same ten moves over and over and over will really help you prepare." Chase muttered under his breath.

Kendall's eyes darted to the side to look at Chase then quickly back to Riley. "If you want to train, fine. How about you and Chase do a little training together."

"Me and Chase?" Riley scoffed.

"Let's call it a team building exercise." Kendall said enthusiastically.

She looked back to Chase and while his face said something along the lines of oh great, a whole day of Riley and no skateboarding, his eyes were saying something completely different. They were nearly petrified. But Kendall couldn't tell if it was because Chase was on the verge of cracking based on their conversation last night or if it was because of something else he has yet to divulge.

Riley sighed and walked over to his duffle bag. He zipped it open and began digging for his street clothes. It was his sign of admitting defeat. That even though he had all of today's events planned, he would still go along with whatever Miss Morgan was scheming. She was their base leader, and a stubborn one to boot, so he knew there was no way out of it. "Dang it." He groaned. He left his dirty clothing from his previous workout in the bag and didn't have a clean set. "I left my clothing at home-"

"Then Chase will go with you."

"I will?" Chase rounded in on Kendall for volunteering him for something he would rather not do. The last time he and Riley spent some "team bonding" time together...Chase's heart skipped a beat at the thought and he could feel blood rushing to his cheeks at the memory. The two of them at the skate park. It was the first time they really bonded. But most of all, it was the first time anybody made his heart skip a beat. "I will." He repeated when he saw Kendall's scowl. "Team bonding. Yay." He said with a forced grin.

Kendall was pleased and smiled at both rangers before heading upstairs to do her usual midday check at the cafe. "Listen, if you have things you would rather do, that's fine." Riley said as he threw his duffle bag over his shoulder.

"No." Chase quickly responded. "No plans."

Riley looked at Chase carefully. Last time they hung out alone he cooked up some crazy ideas in his head. Not to mention all the weird sweating and heart racing. But he wouldn't let that get to him. This is Chase. Girl chasing Chase. Besides, Chase wasn't even his type, not that he knew his type, but that was beside the point. Riley always imagined him as an intellectual equal, not a pretty boy skater with the attention span of a squirrel. "Ok." Riley spoke slowly his mind made up. "But you better not ditch me for some girl. And no skateboarding."

* * *

"I'm gonna take a quick shower. Promise me you won't touch anything." Riley pulled his keys out of his duffle bag and opened the door to his apartment. He kicked his shoes off at the door and left them on the small three foot square of tile before taking an immediate left into the bathroom.

Chase couldn't believe how empty Riley's apartment was. The walls were still a perfectly painted coat of white and the only furniture in the studio that didn't come with the rental was the grey fold out couch. There was a small desk connected to the wall next to the sole window and on it was Riley's laptop and a tablet. He walked into the kitchen and opened the cabinets, disposable plates, bowls, cups and silverware were in one of the four cabinets. Two were empty and the fourth contained a bottle of protein powder, artificial sweetener, extra crunchy peanut butter, a jar of honey, and several bags of assorted bulk nuts. The fridge was packed with various fruits, vegetables, and at least ten containers of key lime pie greek yogurt.

He never pictured Riley as being the health conscious type. Then again, he also never imagined the brainiac as a jock either. So far everything he has learned about him seemed so opposing. Opposite forces that never seem to go together, but do. The one thing he did know for sure was that Riley was anything but a simple country boy.

He looked back over to the laptop and tablet. It was strange that they were here. Normally he had one of them on him. He thought back to the other night. Riley's research on past rangers. What is the stuff he was reading on was still there? No. He couldn't. That would be an invasion of privacy. He needed his teammates trust. Then again, he needed to know that he wouldn't go digging into something he shouldn't.

The bathroom door opened and Chase whirled around. His heart was already racing from the fact that he seriously was thinking about snooping on Riley, but it nearly jumped out of his chest at seeing him in only a towel.

He already knew how built his arms were thanks to his work out tank tops, but now he could see the entire picture. And Riley was definitely not built like the brainy kids he knew in high school. Sure, he wasn't as built at Koda, Tyler, or himself, but his slender abs were most definitely easy on the eyes.

"Chase?" Riley repeated several times, confused as to why he was just standing in his kitchen staring at him. He looked down at himself and then back at Chase. He had to be imagining it. The way Chase was looking at him. "Well, I'm gonna get dressed." He shuffled towards the only closet. "You just stay there." Riley grabbed a pair of black denim pants, a green t-shirt, and a plaid over shirt and went back into the bathroom.

Chase shook his head and then hit his forehead with his hand a few times. "What the hell was that?" He muttered to himself. "Why did you become all tongue tied over seeing Riley like that? Come on Chase, get it together. It's just Riley. Your coworker and teammate. Not your score of the week."

"So what did you want to do?" Riley asked as he came out of the bathroom.

"Uhh." Chase's tongue was still not working even though Riley was looking as he always did. He still couldn't shake what he had just seen moments ago. "You said no skate park so I thought you should decide."

"Fine." Riley sighed. He tried to think of what they could do but his mind was completely blank. He had only been here for a few weeks and still didn't know the area that well. "How about you show me around the area?" He suggested. He knew it was lame, and he wasn't exactly enthused when he suggested it, but the thing he wanted to do wasn't exactly Chase approved, go to the library and do more research on past rangers.

"Seriously?" Chase was taken aback by this. He pictured Riley picking something boring like visiting a bookstore or going to the science center. Not a walk around town.

"I still don't know the area that well. And if I need to go anywhere I use my GPS." Riley shrugged trying to make this less of a deal than Chase was.

"A walk it is then." Chase agreed just as unenthused.

They walked in an awkward silence with no set course in mind. Chase was forced to leave his skateboard at Riley's place and he was getting antsy without it. Using his feet to get around felt like a foreign concept at times. A pair of girls walked past them, and while Chase would have almost always turned around to get another look, Riley's words resurfaced. It was easy, well easier than he imagined to just keep walking.

He looked at Riley and felt his body warming up. He quickly shook his head and looked forward. More trees slowly joined the scenery and Chase knew where they were. "We are at the track you work out at." Chase said without thinking.

Riley's steps slowly came to a stop and they reached a point where Chase was a few good feet in front of him. "How did you know I work out here?" Riley asked slowly. His heart was rushing and his eyes looking at the concrete.

He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. How did Chase know he worked out here. He never told anyone that. He was used to training by himself and being mocked by his brother for his seriousness in it. Because of that, he tended to keep his training regimens to himself. So how was it that Chase knew?

Chase cursed. How could he have been so dumb. He just outed himself. Riley had to have figured it out. He was one of the smartest people he knew. He just had to know that he watched him work out that one day.

Why?

Why was he such an idiot?

Chase swallowed nervously. His pattering heart pounding like a drum that anyone in the park could hear. He couldn't even remember a time he was this nervous about something. Hell, his secret spy mission was feeling like a walk in the park compared to this because then he was watching Riley of his own accord, not because he was being told to.

"The...uhh...skate park is nearby." Chase finally got the words out. "And I...uhh...saw you leaving the track when was heading there."

Riley's heart returned to a normal tempo. "Oh." He was taken aback at first, but then something started to form. A small pit of sadness. Disappointment. It was like his heart was wanting a different answer than something that was so logical.

Why was it doing this? Why was his heart and brain in this constant battle. He had never had problems like this before. Then again, he never met anyone like Chase before. One that can rile him up one moment and leave him breathless the next.

"Hey, there is a great smoothie place nearby." Chase quickly steered the conversation to safer waters. "Wanna grab one?" He nearly hit himself. A walk. The heart racing. Now getting a smoothie. This was becoming more and more like a date.

No. He couldn't use that word. Not with Riley. Team bonding. Like what Kendall called it. That's all this was. Two teammates trying to get to know each other better. Nothing else.

"Sure." Riley agreed, but stayed a step behind Chase the entire way there. They cut through a section of the park he had never been through and in the distance he could see the skate park.

Several of the younger kids called out Chase's name and waved at him excitedly. "Chase look!" One kid shouted. "I can kickflip now!" He showed off the move, and while it wasn't perfect, it was certainly better than when Chase first tried teaching him.

"Those kids really like you?" Riley said as he decided to catch up with Chase and keep pace with him.

"Don't sound so surprised." Chase laughed. "When I have free time I give lessons to the younger kids."

Riley was shocked. He never imagined Chase as the type to give lessons. He could barely stay on task at the grill, so picturing him giving lessons and trying to keep control of five kids, was inconceivable. "I didn't know." Riley said speechless. The park was nearly behind them now and across the street was a set of shops he had never been to before.

"Well, you never asked." Chase said cheekily. "Come on, it's this way." Chase headed to the sidewalk and when no cars were coming, he ran across four lanes of traffic. He turned around and saw Riley was right where he left him. "Come on, there are no cars coming!" Chase shouted with his hands around his mouth to amplify his words.

"Jaywalking is illegal!" Riley shouted back.

Even though he couldn't completely make out Chase's face, he knew he rolled his eyes at that comment.

"Come on!" Chase groaned and he waited impatiently. "It's not like there are any cops coming."

Riley gritted his teeth. Chase was right, there were no cops and it was a fairly empty street considering the time of day. But why should he succumb to Chase's goading.

And that's when the unexplainable happened. Riley's feet apparently didn't agree with his brain and before he knew it, he found himself running across. Why did I do that? Riley questioned to himself.

Maybe because you want to impress him.

A voice seemed to whisper in his ear. Riley shook it off and looked at Chase. "See, I can break the law." He said as if it were nothing, but his heart was racing slightly faster than usual.

"You're a real Butch Cassidy." Chase laughed and patted his back. "It's this way."

The smoothie shop was in the corner of the plaza, and the dark tinted windows didn't exactly make it look like it was still in business, but when Chase opened the door, the place was fairly packed. The predominant crowd was oddly enough skaters kids, and a few nodded their head in Chase's direction. Riley didn't exactly imagine a smoothie place as a hang out for the skater population, but didn't question it.

"Chase." The own grinned as they approached the counter. "Haven't seen you around lately. Been busy?"

Riley could have sworn the owner looked right at him when he said busy and that his impish grin became even more mischievous. "Work has been hectic. Speaking of work, this is Riley." Chase pointed a thumb at him. "Interning at the museum for the summer."

"Good to meet yah Riley. Hopefully I'll be seeing more of you."

"Yah. Likewise." Riley said slowly confused by the man's reaction to him. His smile. The way his eyes darted between him and Chase. It was starting to make Riley feel uneasy. He felt like the owner was insinuating something was going on between the two of them, but he didn't know why.

"What will it be?" He asked seeing that more people were about to come into the shop. "Your usual Chase?" Chase nodded his head in agreement. "And you Riley?"

Riley blinked a few times and looked at the board. He was so busy trying to figure out what was going on that he didn't even look at the menu. "A large kale and spinach smoothie." He finally decided, after feeling like he was looking at the menu longer than one should. The guy chuckled and wrote down the order.

"I'll call you when it's ready."

Chase picked a small booth that was as far away from the crowed as possible, but it didn't do much considering the small size of the shop. "You come here alot?" Riley asked as his eyes darted around the room. A small corkboard was on one of the walls and it was filled with postings for tournaments in the skate park, board repairs, even people looking to sell, buy or swap for parts. Otherwise the dark grey walls were unadorned.

"I usually take the kids I teach here after class."

Riley was slowly becoming more impressed with Chase and wondered why he never showed this side of himself while working at the museum. It was almost as if he was looking at a different person. His heart was racing, and he could feel his palms getting sweaty. How was it that Chase kept doing this to him? Kept making him believe that there was the possibility of something more existing between the two of them. He came to Amber Beach because of his Energem, not to find a boyfriend, and yet, the past days he found himself thinking more of Chase than their mission.

"Chase!" The owner called out his name, and Riley snapped out of his internal conflict. Chase slid out of the booth and headed towards the counter.

"He's cute. Not your usual type." The owner said quietly with a playful wink.

"Shut up." Chase said grabbing the two cups. "And it's not like that. He's just a coworker." But Chase could feel his own body betraying him. His cheeks began to feel warm, and he begrudgingly agreed, that Riley was cute, especially after he saw what he looked like without clothing on. But it was Riley. Perfectionist, always has to be right, gets on his nerves, Riley.

The owner shrugged and Chase headed back to the booth, plopping both smoothies on the table. He wouldn't let this get to him. There was nothing going on between him and Riley and there never will be. Teammate and coworkers. Chase repeated in his head while he drank his smoothie in silence.

* * *

A/N In honor of the second half of Dino Charge starting today, here's a chapter. Thank you for reating and I hope you all enjoyed and are looking forward to the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

After their awkward not a date, date, they headed back to Riley's apartment. The two barely spoke a word to one another while they drank their smoothies and walked back to Riley's apartment.

After Chase left, Riley grabbed his laptop and plopped down on his couch. He opened up Google Scholar and typed in the name Kendall Morgan.

Research Papers from M.I.T popped up on screen. He clicked the first link and a twenty page paper entitled The Science of Jurassic World subtitled How close mankind truly is to recreating a Dinosaur. First author was Thomas Oliver, second Hayley Ziktor, and third was Kendall Morgan. Riley scanned the paper and he was surprised at how technical it was. What surprised him even further was that Thomas and Hayley were graduate students, Thomas a doctorate in paleontology and Hayley was working on one in mechanical engineering and she already had a B.S. in computer science and business technology and a masters of engineering. Hayley sounded like an older version of Kendall. And then he saw the third name on the paper, Kendall Morgan an undergraduate student studying paleontology with a minor in computer science. He looked at the published date, November 2000. Fifteen years ago. That means Kendall was in college as a teenager, at least fifteen.

He looked at a few more of her papers, and while he came across many self published ones, every time she collaborated, it was with those same two people.

Riley opened up two new tabs in his browser and typed the name Dr. Thomas Oliver in one and Hayley Ziktor in the other. What came up was the last thing he expected. The very first link for Dr. Oliver was for a High School, a teacher profile page to be exact. Dr. Thomas Oliver became a teacher at Reefside High School in California. He scanned over the page confused as to why someone who was as educated as him would teach high school instead of college students. There was a link to his resume and after he got his Phd, he worked at Mercer Technologies until 2004, that was when he started teaching.

He switched to the other tag, and he saw another thing he never would have expected. Hayley Ziktor was the owner of a cyber cafe in Reefside. Just like Dr. Oliver, she was living and working far below her educational abilities.

Why was it that both these people who had rich backgrounds and remarkable research would just give it all up for such uninspiring jobs. Kendall, while not doing research anymore, was still in charge of the museum. And he couldn't forget that she also designs most of the Ranger technology.

So why Reefside? What was so special about that city.

Riley drummed his fingers on his laptop and repeated the name Reefside at few times and that's when it hit him. A ranger team was at Reefside.

He opened another tab and typed Reefside Power Rangers. Hundreds of articles ranging from 2004 and 2005 popped up on screen. There were even news videos discussing this ranger team as well as poorly captured footage of them fighting.

He went back and looked at Dr. Oliver's resume. The year he became a teacher was also the year the Dino Thunder Rangers appeared. His screen was divided so the left side was the resume and the right side was his Google search. His eyes constantly went back and forth between the two and he just couldn't believe this was a coincidence.

He minimized the resume and grabbed the tab with Dr. Oliver's faculty information and made it its own separate window. He read it more closely. Outside of his research and teaching he also had a seventh degree black belt in shotokan and taught martial arts at the local community center.

"No way." Riley bit on his index finger. "Could Dr. Oliver have been the Dino Thunder Power Rangers mentor? Hell, he could have been a ranger himself." Riley closed his laptop and set it next to him. "Is that how Kendall knows so much about Power Rangers? If it is true...Maybe that's why Chase doesn't want me digging...He already knows. But what about Dr. Ziktor how does she fit into all of this? Was she a ranger too? Maybe she did the ranger tech like Ms. Morgan." Riley continued to mumble to himself. So many unknown variables. He needed to research this further. And the only way he could do that was by meeting them, or at least one of them, directly.

He snatched his laptop and opened it back up to check the calendar on Dr. Oliver's website. Most of the days were filled with faculty meetings, detention duty, and his martial arts lessons. But one day stood out in the sea of continuity. In two weeks he would be a guest lecturer at Rice University. He clicked the link on the calendar and it brought up a flier. It was scheduled to be on Thursday at 4 pm. Since he and the team usually worked morning to afternoon shifts, if he gets off at exactly 2:30, hits no traffic his entire drive, he should get to the school by 3:30 and make it in time to the lecture. The only thing was, he needed a monster free attack day and most of all, a good enough excuse to borrow either Tyler's Jeep or one of the museum trucks, since he didn't trust his Vespa with that drive. But most of all, he needed to do this without the rest of the team, especially Chase and Miss Morgan knowing. And that could be easier said than done.

* * *

Chase's head began reeling the moment his feet touched the ground. That being with Riley. The insinuation that they were dating. That was more awkward than when someone cute confronts him. He knew how much of an idiot he became when that happened. His tongue would become tied and he would think more between his legs than his ears.

He propped his board on its spot on the wall and plopped down on his couch. He dug into the crack between the cushions and pulled out the tv remote. Turning it on, a motocross competition popped on screen and he dropped the remote onto the floor. He closed his eyes and listened to the announcers, in hopes it would block out the noise in his head, but Riley once again took over his every thought. It was maddening. Sure, sometimes he could become a tad obsessive over someone he found attractive, but never to this extent.

His back pocket started buzzing and cocking his butt up, he pulled his phone out of this pocket. The picture that popped up from the ringing phone resulted in a wide grin. "Chloe!" he nearly shouted his sister's name happy not only to hear her voice, but to act as a much needed distraction.

"Chase!" His sister's voice rang just as exuberantly.

"It's nearly noon, shouldn't you be at your Kapa Haka lessons?" He said as he shot up from the couch and looked at the clock on his microwave. The green lights said that it was 4:49 pm Texas time and he strained to remember the time difference between the two, but it did come to him.

"My teacher is sick so no practice today." She said giddily. "Speaking of my lessons. Guess what."

"What?" Chase said just as excitedly.

"I get to visit you in July! We were invited to the museum you work at to put on a performance for one of the new exhibits. It will just be me though. Mum can't get the time off work."

Chase figured as much. It wasn't easy being a single mother with two kids. On top of that, she worked the graveyard shift at the hospital, so Chase ended up taking up the role as both big brother and parent to Chloe. It was hard on Chase these past months to leave his sister behind and come to Texas to fulfill his duty as a Ranger, but he constantly reminded himself that she is thirteen now, not as much of a child as he likes to think, so she can take care of herself, but that didn't mean he wanted her to. He wanted to protect her from people like him. People that would break her heart the moment she gave it to them. He wanted to teach her how to skateboard, and just be there when she needed someone to talk to. He made a promise to his sister when she was born, that he would be there to protect her no matter what, and he can't do that when he is oceans away.

"When in July?" He finally asked, knowing this was one date he wouldn't forget.

"We fly in late on the tenth, we perform on the eleventh, and leave early afternoon on the twelfth."

"We can do whatever you want while you are here."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Chase assured her.

"Good. So tell me how things have been? It's been months since we last talked."

"Things are...uhh..." Chase stuttered as images of Riley began to form again.

"Who are they?" She asked with a sigh.

"They?" Chase asked feigning confusion. "No they." He tried to banish the green plaid wearing brainiac, but the image started getting stronger.

"I'm not an idiot Chase. I know what your reputation was like in secondary school, but most of all I know you."

"Come on Chloe." Chase sighed and reached down for the remote to turn off the tv. The distraction he needed was never going to come, so he might as well dive head first into this therapy session. "You know I never stick around long enough for there to ever be a legitimate they."

"And whose fault is that?" His sister eerily sounded like their mom when she said that. "I know it might not sound like much coming from me since I'm your sister and all, but you really are a great guy Chase, anyone, and I do mean anyone, would be lucky to have you. So tell me all about this person who has you all tongue tied."

Chase groaned, maybe admittance really was the first step. If he just said it to someone, his brain would go back to being its normal self. "Their name is Riley." Chase nearly whispered in the phone.

"Riley!" His sister repeated excitedly. "Boy? Girl? Oh, it doesn't matter. Where did you meet them?"

"Girl talk with my sister..." Chase muttered, but swallowed his pride. He needed to get this off his chest. "Riley is a co-worker. Just interning for the summer. But we do work closely together." Working closely together was a huge understatement, but he couldn't exactly say they were coworkers and Power Rangers, meaning they typically spent every waking moment together. So what he said was just enough to make his point for his sister. "Riley is a total nerd, one of the smartest persons I have ever met, but a talented jock at the same time. The way he handles a sword..."

"So it is a he." His sister said excitedly.

"And this is not a conversation I should be having with my thirteen year old sister." He said realizing what sword could be insinuating even though he was talking about an actual weapon.

"Because of the way he handles a sword." She laughed, teasingly.

"Listen Chloe. I don't even know if I fully understand my feelings for Riley. One moment we are good, and the next he's driving me crazy and we are at each other's throats. He's punctual, not to mention a total smart alec, and don't even get me started on the way he dresses. But most of all, what drives me insane, is that he is willing to give up his dreams because his family needs him on their ranch. We are polar opposites and yet I can't seem to get him out of my head."

"Have you told him yet?" She asked more seriously.

"You know that's not something I openly share with people." Chase said so quietly that his sister could barely hear. Even though he has been with so many different people, they never exactly got to the opening up phase of the relationship. Heck, the only reason his mom and sister know was because he screwed up bad. Really bad. But he wouldn't allow himself to remember that or the days that followed.

"Chase, this is a different time. A different place. No one will care if you tell them you're Pan."

"It will just let them know I'm even more of a whore than they think I am." He said bitterly.

"Don't say that. Don't you ever say that. The whoring and saying you don't do serious relationships. Even down to not wanting to share with those close to you who you really are. That's him talking, not you." Once again, his sister reminded him of their mother, but her words didn't help. No matter how many times he was told them, they never penetrated the wall he had built up. "If you like this guy, then just go for it. The worst he can do is reject you, and it's not like that would be something new. So tell him, for me."

"Chloe-" He said his sister's name wistfully, wishing life really was that simple. That it could be like a movie where he would just walk up to Riley and ask him out on a proper date and they would walk off into the sunset holding hands. But life was never so black and white. And them being rangers only added more shades of grey.

"If you don't tell him by the time I visit, then I will for you."

"You're a horrible sister."

"I love you too Chase."

"Give mum a hug for me."

"Tell him." She reiterated before hanging up.

Chase looked at his screen for a few minutes before dropping his phone and laying back down on the couch. Even though he got his feelings off his chest, outright admitted to his sister that he may like Riley in a way he has never liked anyone before, that gnawing feeling still wasn't going away. The only thing now was that he didn't know what it really was and what or who was causing it. He picked up the remote and turned the tv back on, once again, not truly listening, but debating what he should say to Riley, if anything at all.


	7. Chapter 7

It was another long day at the cafe, and Chase thought his shift would never end. He and Riley were on the floor as waiters, and every time they walked passed one another or brushed shoulders, he thought of what his sister told him. And while he normally would follow his gut instinct and pull out the moves, he found himself skirting around Riley. Not even so much as giving him a hello. Which was making the shift for both of them as awkward as hell.

The only reprieve Chase had was when Riley left for his thirty minute lunch break. His heart returned to its normal tempo and the tongue tied nervousness had passed.

"Chase?" Shelby waved a hand in front of his face as he zoned out in the direction Riley left. "Chase?" She asked again.

"Huh? Yah?" Chased blinked a few times and the daze he was in had vanished completely. "Two Bronto Burgers, one with Fossil Fries and one with a Sabretooth Side Salad."

Shelby sighed and grabbed Chase's notebook out of his hand. "Honestly Chase, if you are going to slack off at least do it at the grill."

"Hey, I actually have been working today." Chase protested.

"You and I obviously have different definitions of working." She said flipping through the notebook only to see three orders written in the last three hours. "I know I am going to regret this, but switch with Tyler at the grill."

Grill? Yes, the grill. When Riley comes back from his break, they won't nearly be in as close proximity to one another, so things should go back to normal. He snatched his notebook from Shelby's hands before heading back to the grill with a wide grin.

"Hey mate." Chase said as he watched Tyler form burger patties during his down time. But he noticed the puck like shapes were not nearly as uniform as when Riley made them. "We're switching duties?"

Tyler nearly dropped the ball of meat in his hands. "Really?" He stammered. "You and me?" He asked confusedly. "You at the grill and me serving."

"Yep." Chase said eagerly.

Tyler dropped the ground beef back into the bowl and washed his hands. "I'll be right back."

Chase shrugged his shoulders, washed his hands, and picked up where Tyler left off in making the burger patties.

"Chase at the grill?" Tyler questioned as he rounded in on Shelby.

"What?" She questioned after picking her tip off the table. "He's acting weird today." Tyler rose an eyebrow to that statement. "Well, weirder than usual." She put the dirty dishes into her black tub so they could be cleaned. "He has not flirted with a single girl since we opened." She grabbed the towel that was hanging off her shoulder and sprayed some cleaner before scrubbing the table down. "And he keeps avoiding Riley for some reason. He almost dropped a tray on table eight when their shoulders touched."

"But Chase, at the grill?" Tyler reiterated.

"What's the worse he could do?"

After thirty minutes, those words finally came back to bite Shelby in the ass. She and Tyler could tolerate Chase focusing more on his phone than flipping the burgers he was grilling, but the fact he nearly burnt down the museum, that would be means of firing for any normal person.

The reason as to why such events unfolded was definitely not one of Chase's finer moments. While to most it looked like he had left his station to flirt with a cute girl, and he wouldn't deny that he picked her for that very reason; the true reason he jumped ship was because of Riley.

He was so distracted by the game he was playing on his phone that he never noticed Riley coming in, and then standing behind him, so he could wash the dishes. Chase's ignorant bliss came to an end when Riley asked if he had seen the sanitizer bottle, since it wasn't next to the soap as it was supposed to be.

The lamest pickup line, in the history of pick up lines, popped up in Chase's head, and let's just say it had something to do with Riley "cleaning" him, and he started to panic. His sister poisoned him with this idea of he and Riley possibly dating. So, the only thing he could think of doing was running to the closest distraction. And an attractive person could offer that, so, he popped up to the closest one.

He needed to go back three weeks ago when Riley was just the new ranger on the block. When he wasn't even a blip on his radar. And the first step to doing that was following his blinded flirtatious ways.

The only downside to his plan was that he left burgers cooking on the grill, which resulted in not only a fire, but a lecture from Kendall and the rest of the team. He thought the torture would never end, that was until Moena came him.

His face light up. He forgot she moved out here two months ago to be closer to her family. But it wasn't just Moena herself that moved to the states, but her entire shop as well. Chase was becoming giddy. It was as if a gift had been placed before him. Moena was the solution. Helping her would provide an ideal distraction from all his ridiculous ideas about Riley.

* * *

Riley couldn't believe it. Chase not only got out of a lecture, but was now in charge of guarding a shop by himself. That was trouble waiting to happen. But it was too late. Chase and Moena were gone. He could always go to the shop and surprise Chase. After all two Rangers are better than one. Wouldn't it make more sense to have more Rangers acting as guards? Then again, if it was him and Chase, there might as well only be one Ranger guarding it.

Still, everything about this scenario seemed unbelievable. Seeing the future just isn't possible. Fortune tellers are just scammers trying to make a few bucks. This was probably just some crazed dream, by an equally crazed lady. But there was still something Riley couldn't shake. Moena reached for Chase's Energem. She knew in a basic sense what it was and that's why she asked Chase for help. Something was going on here, and Riley wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Thankfully, they finished their closing duties just as quickly as they would have if Chase was there, and they were able to go home for the evening. Koda went down to the base, Kendall drove home, and Tyler drove Shelby home as well. Tyler offered Riley a ride, but he declined. Despite the humidity, it was still nice outside and he didn't mind the walk from the museum to his apartment.

Only ten minutes into his walk home, and Riley's stomach started growling. He checked his watch and it was a quarter till six. He wondered if Chase had packed any food before heading off to Moena's shop. He opened a text on his phone but found himself hesitating to click Chase's name as the recipient.

Instead he opened up Chrome and searched for the address of the shop. It was out of the way, but it's not like he had any plans. Ok. He would go check on Chase. Just be sure he wasn't goofing off and to see if he needed dinner. He did owe Chase for buying him that smoothie, so he could pick him up something so they would be even.

He put his phone in his duffle bag and instead of taking a right at the light, he went straight for eight more blocks before turning left. His stomach growled louder and each time he passed a burger place or a pizza joint the rumblings only got worse. He pulled his phone out to see how far he had left. He still had ten minutes to go. His stomach gave another loud, demanding rumble for food, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer. As he passed a small restaurant, whose sign said Imperial Dragon, the tempting aroma caused his stomach to roar. While Riley tried to limit eating out to once a week, he couldn't deny his stomach what it wanted most. Besides, earlier he did think about paying back Chase for the smoothie, so some cheap Americanized Chinese food should be a good enough exchange. Riley ordered enough veggie fried rice, crispy seaweed, potstickers, and wan ton soup to feed Koda, and his stomach rumbled as if it wanted to beat the Caveman's records in eating. But he forced it to wait another few minutes as he continued the walk to Moena's shop.

The light post by the shop was dented and the broken glass next to it made Riley believe that it was no longer in service. And despite it being so early in the evening, and many people getting off of work, few cars drove by him. The dark windows looked like they could use a good cleaning, but Riley doubted that would make the shop look any more inviting. The door was protected by an iron screen door, and a closed sign was slid between the bars. He hoped that the storefront she had in New Zealand was more welcoming compared to this one, because he didn't understand how she could have stayed in business so long.

Riley held the bags of steaming Chinese food in one hand, and rose the other to knock on the metal door. But once again he found himself hesitating. What was he doing? Surprising Chase with dinner. It was a stupid idea. He and Chase were teammates and they barely qualified as friends. Sure, they made and effort, but it always resulted in awkward silences, like when Kendall forced them to spend time together, or unexpected emotional turmoil.

He gripped the bags tighter and dropped his hand. He wasn't Chase's babysitter. Besides, there was nothing to worry about. Chase was probably blasting his music while playing some game on his phone. And once he get's bored with that, he will fall asleep and wake up and the shop will be just as Moena left it. Leaving was the logical thing to do.

* * *

Riley wanted to punch himself. He should have checked on Chase. He should have helped him. But no. He talked himself out of leaving. How was it possible that his rational reasoning had failed him? Seeing the future just isn't possible. And yet. After this. Maybe it wasn't as far-fetched as he thought. Chase let the monster escape and now, he was slowly falling under its control. This predicament they are in is partially his fault too. And he would do everything in his power to fix it.

So, here they were, in Moena's shop trying to learn what was stolen from her. But he was only half paying attention. He was too distracted. No matter how hard to tried to concentrate, his focus only cleared when Chase's name was mentioned and when Moena told a story on how he received his Energem.

And then when he thought it couldn't get any worse it did. That was the norm though? Wasn't it? When you thought you did something bad, something worse was always to come. Tyler brought the news that he didn't want to hear? Chase was missing and Spellbinder had returned. Two things that defiantly qualified as worse. And to think, he could have stopped it all before it escalated to this. Riley continued to mentally beat himself up over this as he and the team headed towards the door.

"Wait!" Moena shouted as he grabbed the handle. "Riley. I must speak with you."

Riley looked to his teammates who were just as confused as he did. He then looked back at Moena whose pained expression seemed to worsen. "Go ahead guys. I'll meet up with you in a bit."

"Come on. Let's hurry." Tyler said as he, Shelby, and Koda ran out of the door.

"Moena?" Riley asked as he approached the fortune teller. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead and her hands were beginning to shake. "Is everything alright? Is Chase alright?"

"I know I shouldn't say anything about this." She rambled cryptically. "It's one thing to use my visions to stop a monster." Her eyes finally met Riley's and they were so wide she was borderline crazed. "But you and Chase. Your future. How can I not say anything?"

Riley was still confused. From the sounds of it. The vision about Spellbinder was not the only one she had. But he and Chase? What could possibly happen to them? Seeing the future. It couldn't be real. And if Riley had asked himself twenty-four hours ago if he believed in people seeing the future he would think he was crazed. But all this. With Chase and Spellbinder. How could he not somewhat believe it now? "Moena, what did you see?" He asked seriously.

"You and Chase must tread carefully. Indecision. Hesitation. Denial. They could rip the team apart. But following your heart. Succumbing to your desires. They could result in their victory."

Riley was shocked. Her visions were good enough to know about their battle with Fury and Sledge. If she knew them, what else has she seen? "Moena-"

"You and Chase must find balance or all will be lost."

"Balance?" Riley questioned. "Lost? Just tell me everything that you saw. None of this makes any sense."

"You don't have much time." She still rambled on. "You must stop them. Stop them before they change Chase-"

"You're the one keeping me from doing that." Riley interrupted.

"Chase follows his heart and you your intellect. The moment you allow yourselves to think otherwise will begin the downfall. You must stop yourselves before that happens."

Riley didn't know what to do. Moena was obviously bothered by whatever she saw, but he didn't know how to get a straight answer out of her. Besides, if he stayed here any longer then the team could get into serious trouble. They needed him.

"Moena, I need to go. The team needs me. Chase needs me." He said that last part more quietly. "We can talk about this once you have calmed down." She nodded her head in agreement and Riley ran out of the store. He pulled out his Dino Com to see where the team was. He saw the blinking red light and pushed himself. Ran harder than he ever has before. His team needed him. But most of all, Chase needed him. And in all honesty, that was the only motivation he needed.

* * *

The monster was defeated and the day was saved. Chase appeared to be back to his normal self, but Riley found his nerves getting the better of him. This was the first time they got close to losing a ranger. The stakes. What this war with Sledge and Fury could cost them. It was real now. Their lives are on the line and Chase could have lost his forever. And yet, here he was. Cool, laidback Chase just laughing off his near death puppet experience as nothing.

Moena entered the cafe and just for a moment Riley's eyes met hers. He could still see the crazed fear in them. The same look when she told him that he and Chase were in danger. This puzzled Riley. They stopped Spellbinder. Chase is as normal as he will ever be. Everything was hypothetically all hunky-dory now. And yet, everything about Moena in that short glance said otherwise. She blinked a few times and her eyes appeared normal as she looked in Chase's direction. Chase threw his towel down, hopped over the bar, and headed in her direction. Riley watched as the two interact, but he couldn't hear a word they were saying. But seeing as how normal Moena looked, he could assume it wasn't what she told him earlier. As the two hugged, Riley headed in Chase's direction, but his mind was reeling around this new puzzle.

_Indecision._

The first word Moena said. He and Chase could not be indecisive. But he had no clue what they were being indecisive about.

_Hesitation._

That word goes hand in hand with indecision. So the two want to be decisive, but are hesitant to do so.

_Denial._

If these three words are a chain reaction of sorts, and what Moena speaks is true. Then they need to make a decision about something, but are refusing to and instead of confronting it, they are denying it.

And all of this. Those three decisions could rip the team apart. So the choice that they need to make, but aren't, will affect more than just them.

But then there was another side of the coin. Following their hearts. Making a decision. No longer hesitating and denying. Succumbing. But succumbing to what? That was a whole different question in itself. But from the sounds of it. Their decisive choice will keep the team united, but result in them being defeated. But defeated by who? Fury? Sledge? Some other villain they had yet to encounter?

All this was becoming exhausting. He needed to focus on one task. One tangible task. Not some mumbo jumbo that had no scientific evidence to back it up. But the other Rangers. Meeting Dr. Oliver. That was real. That was something he could collect data on, analyze, and have a sound hypothesis. It was something that could help the team and in turn the world, unlike the ramblings spouted to him earlier.

Riley's mind was made up. He would do as he always does. Follow his mind, not his heart. That was his decision. Set in stone. And yet, even though he just made it, he could feel the cracks wanting to form.

* * *

A/N: Hello all, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Just so you know, this may be the last chapter I post in awhile. I finaly got a job with my degree...and I'm kinda sorta in Alaska now and posting this from my hotel room. I don't know how long I'll be MIA for, but I'll post the next chapter ASAP. Thanks again and until next time!


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